Can I Make an Adoption Hospital Plan?

Planning for Labor and Delivery

All of the decision making, planning, educating and preparing all lead up to the very emotional day of the hospital stay.

While it's common for women in your situation to worry about this upcoming day, the more you are able to prepare and plan ahead, the more confident you will feel.

This is why your social worker will work closely with you to develop an "adoption hospital plan."

Having an hospital birth plan set before you go into labor tells the adoptive family, the adoption agency and the hospital staff exactly what you want the hospital visit to look like. This enables everyone, especially you, to focus solely on the birth of your baby, as your wishes will already be known.

Similar to your adoption plan, you are also in complete control of your adoption hospital plan. You will have a number of questions to consider, including:

Will the adoptive family be in the delivery room?

Which members of your support system will be with you at the hospital?

Will your other child(ren) be at the hospital?

Will you spend time with your baby, and if so, by yourself, with the adoptive family, or both?

Who will hold your baby first?

Will you be admitted to the hospital confidentially?

Do you prefer a natural delivery or do you prefer using medication?

How much time do you want to spend with the adoptive family at the hospital?

Do you want pictures taken of you with the baby?

Do you want to leave the hospital before or after your baby?

Do you want to leave the hospital with or without the adoptive family?

You will begin talking about the hospital plan with your Adoption Specialist early on in the adoption process, but it is likely you won’t have a finalized hospital plan until a month from the delivery, as your preferences may change.

For example, during the match you will most likely become more and more comfortable with the adoptive family, and you may later decide that you do in fact want them in the delivery room with you, when previously that may have seemed uncomfortable.

Throughout your pregnancy and the adoption process, your Adoption Specialist will help you make your hospital plan. Call 1-800-ADOPTION for more information about the hospital plan, or fill out the following form for more adoption information.

DisclaimerInformation available through these links is the sole property of the companies and organizations listed therein. America Adoptions, Inc. provides this information as a courtesy and is in no way responsible for its content or accuracy.

Why is American Adoptions the right adoption agency choice for many birth mothers?

American Adoptions is one of the largest licensed adoption agencies in the United States. Each year, we work with thousands of women who are facing an unplanned pregnancy and offer assistance to these women. Our large, caring staff is able to assist you seven days a week and provide you with one-on-one counseling about your pregnancy and available options.

You should choose an adoption agency where you feel completely comfortable with their services and staff. With American Adoptions, you will work with an Adoption Specialist who is on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Adoption Specialist will be your advocate and will provide support and guidance as you create an adoption plan that is right for you.

How will the family tell my child about me and the adoption when my child is older?

Each family has their own style of introducing adoption to the child. When you are matched with an adoptive family, you can ask them this question. If you would like your Adoption Specialist to discuss it for you, just let her know. He or she can share your wishes or provide good ideas from other adoptive families.

You will also be able to share what you want your baby to know about you. You can complete a keepsake booklet to share hobbies, stories, photos of you and your family and a letter to your baby. The adoptive family can provide this to your child as he or she grows older. Be as creative as you like! Some birth mothers have even knitted a special blanket as a gift to their baby or given a similar symbol of their love.

The father of your baby can fill out the birth father's keepsake booklet or write a letter too. You may have other family members who would also like to share photos or a letter to the baby. This is your opportunity to pass on your and your family's love and to share your personality, history and reasons for choosing adoption. The adoptive family will treasure whatever information you provide and will share it with the baby at an appropriate age. In most adoptive homes, the word adoption is in the child's vocabulary early on, and adoption is celebrated in their lives.

Teen Pregnancy - Information for Young Women

While not every woman who chooses adoption is a young mother, many are. Through adoption, many young women have found an ability to give their babies the best life possible, while finding the opportunity to realize their own dreams, as well. Call American Adoptions today at 1-800-ADOPTION.

American Adoptions, a private adoption agency founded on the belief that lives of children can be bettered through adoption, provides safe adoption services to children, birth parents and adoptive families by educating, supporting and coordinating necessary services for adoptions throughout the United States. For more information on American Adoptions, please call 1-800-ADOPTION (236-7846)